The invention relates to fastener straps, e.g., straps for bundling cables, cords and wire, and to methods of making such straps.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical fastener strap 10 includes a relatively wide head 12 defining an opening 14, and an elongated strap body 16 having an end 18 that is dimensioned to fit through opening 14, allowing the strap to be cinched around an article.
Fastener straps are used in many different applications. One such application, for example, is the "bundling" of cord-like materials, such as wire, electrical cord and telephone cable. A cord-like material 15 is secured in a bundle, as shown in FIG. 1A, by wrapping the fastener strap 10 around a portion of the material 15, inserting the end 18 through opening 14, pulling the free end 17 until the strap body 16 is wrapped tightly around the material 15, and securing the free end in this position.
Various means have been used to secure the free end in place, one of which is to provide the hook component of a hook and loop fastener on one surface of the strap, and the hook-engaging loop component of the hook and loop fastener on the opposite surface. In this manner, when the free end 17 is pulled tight through the opening 14 it can then be overlapped with and pressed down against the underlying portion of the strap body 16, thereby engaging the hook-bearing surface of the strap body 16 with the opposite loop-bearing surface.
Fastener straps are generally manufactured by die-cutting a pattern defining an array of fastener straps into a sheet material, and separating the individual fastener straps from the sheet material. An example of a die-cutting pattern 20, defining two arrays 11 of fastener straps 10, is shown in FIG. 2. One strap 10 is cross-hatched for illustration. Each array is arranged so that all of the heads 12 are facing in the same direction. The entire area 22 surrounding the fasteners 10 is waste material and is generally discarded.